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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26034799">Wilting</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/dolfabre/pseuds/dolfabre'>dolfabre</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Tales of the Abyss</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Blood and Injury, Hurt/Comfort, I broke both my own and my gf's heart for this, Implied Feelings, Is this a whump fic? ... it's possible, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Other, Possible Character Death, injuries, post-epilogue</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 08:00:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,038</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26034799</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/dolfabre/pseuds/dolfabre</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Following a skirmish on the border of Daath, the party returned to where they started... apart from one.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Luke fon Fabre &amp; Tear Grants, Luke fon Fabre/Tear Grants</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Wilting</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>How did it come to this?</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“T-they’re coming, okay? They should be coming any time soon, so you need to hold on.”</p>
<p>The situation wasn’t meant to escalate this far; the group had been asked by Grand Maestro Tritheim to help squash some small skirmishes on the border of Daath by a recently recognised pro-Score organisation. It was supposed to be a relatively simple task, with the likely outcome being a few scrapes and bruises. But the information they received underestimated just how big the waiting militia was, along with how informed of the sword they were. As quickly as they lost each other, they managed to find each other again. Well, except one.</p>
<p>It was sight Luke thought he’d never see; it was a sight he never wanted to see. Tear always seemed so strong whenever they fought alongside each other - now... was quite the opposite however. He had managed to lean her body up the wall of an abandoned cottage nearing the outskirts of the city, but even then she still looked like she was struggling to breathe. There might not have been a part of her outwards appearance that hadn’t been stained in blood - with most of it likely being her own. Her lips were silent, but her eyes were screaming, and knowing he couldn’t do much to help her was more of a punishment than any.</p>
<p>“L-Luke…” her voice finally sounded in a cracked whisper. A bloody gloved hand reached out for his own as he sat beside her, attempting to intertwine their fingers together. “I-”</p>
<p>“Tear, please… Save your strength, okay? When Natalia and the others catch up, w-we’ll get you healed up and you’ll be fine.” His eyes had widened in the same desperation his words had been flavoured with, seeking any sort of reassurance both to her and himself that she’d be fine.</p>
<p>She <em>had</em> to be fine… right?</p>
<p>The fonist, on the other hand, was already wondering on the fate that lay before her. She knew for a fact that unless Natalia got there soon - she was a goner. Everything around her had started to blur, even Luke’s voice was becoming distorted, and there wasn’t a doubt in her mind that with the amount of blood she’d lost the situation had become quite worrisome.</p>
<p>This was just the way of life as a soldier, wasn’t it? She was well aware that the inevitable might catch up with her sooner or later, it was matter of time. If it were only a matter of time, why was she trying so hard to stay awake? Why was she holding the noble’s hand as if her life depended on it?</p>
<p>… she knew why, but even now she was too scared to say it.</p>
<p>“Luke… go,” she whispered, using all her strength to raise their clasped hands to his cheek. The smallest feeling of guilt fluttered in her gut upon seeing the blood that had rubbed off on Luke’s cheek, but the pain was enough to cover that for now. “You have to… you have to… or else you’ll..!”</p>
<p>Her voice wavered in strength but shortly faded to silence as she tried her best to plead with him, and when that didn’t seem to work, she relied on her eyes to carry the message to his own.</p>
<p>In response, Luke shook his head. He could see the distress in her expression, but for now it was something he was set out to ignore. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m not leaving you alone again.”</p>
<p>“... please.”</p>
<p>“I’m sorry.”</p>
<p>“... why?”</p>
<p>Luke hummed, in confusion more than anything, and furrowed his brow. At this point, he was the one supporting their hands at his cheek, and he didn’t have the heart to move them - especially as he thought of an answer that didn’t make him look half as much like an idiot as he usually felt. “I… I don’t want to leave you because… you never left me. You never left me after Akzeriuth… you never left me. So I’m not going to leave you.”</p>
<p>The mention of the former mining city of Akzeriuth was the one thing that caught Tear’s attention from her blurring state. A delicate smile curled onto her lips, because as much as she wished she had the energy to argue more, in hopes that he would listen to her pleas - she knew for a fact that he was far too stubborn, and she was far too tired. He was right that she never left him, but she didn’t want him to see her in this vulnerable state - she didn’t want him to see her if she <em>died</em>.</p>
<p>“Idiot…”</p>
<p>The noble chuckled quietly, reflecting her smile with a short-lived one of his own. It was now when he realised how pale she was; the blood on her face had begun to darken and dry, but her skin had begun to lose it’s colour. Her eyes had begun to lose their brightness, and she seemed to be heading into what seemed to be sleep. He was beginning to lose her.</p>
<p>“No… no, no, Tear, you have to stay awake..! Natalia and the others’ll be here soon, please…!” His voice was full with panic and his eyes were shaking in denial, but she could barely seem to comprehend his words.</p>
<p>Hands fell with fingers still intertwined from his face to the grass on which they sat, and his free hand cupped her cheek as he pushed himself closer from where he sat. Her skin was ice cold, and she barely seemed aware of what was going on, but her smile from before still remained. He felt as though she was trying to comfort him, when if anything it was quite the opposite.</p>
<p>“Tear, please,” Luke muttered, begging to Lorelei - Yulia - whoever was out there - under his breath. Nothing was seeming to grab her attention - not now. “Mystearica..! I -”</p>
<p>And everything went black.</p>
<p>The warm touch of Luke’s hand on her cheek began to disappear, and the sound of shouting came to her ears - but everything seemed far to distant for her to understand what was being said. Her eyes seemed far too heavy to fight back, and now more than anything, she just wanted to sleep.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you all for reading! I want to say thank you to De (DreamyRequiem) for beta reading for me - I wrote this when I should have probably been sleeping after all. I wanted to leave the ending open to interpretation, but I'm toying with maybe writing another part... but until then, thank you all again!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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